What does it mean to be married to someone who is transgender? Ashley Clift-Jennings had to answer that question six years into marriage to her husband. After overcoming her fear of what other people would think, she now appreciates that her spouse is her soul mate, and she would know how to find her in a dark room. Ashley is the rare combination of big ideas and big action. With an innate ability to see the larger picture and connect seemingly unrelated dots, Ashley has advised dozens of small businesses from startup into growth. She believes strongly in community and is a powerhouse in her hometown of Reno, organizing meetups and events like Reno Maker Faire and Startup Weekend Reno. She is the founder and former CEO of Girlmade, an accelerator program for women to encourage a new, positive narrative that girls can run their own startups. Now with Parlor, Ashley is combining all her natural talents as a super-connector, problem-solver and music lover to push back on the “starving artist” myth. Ashley graduated from Columbia University and is a member of Nevada Lieutenant Governor Mark Hutchison’s Northern Nevada Entrepreneurship Task Force (EFT). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx